Mindfulness: Foundation for Teaching and Learning
2011 Conference Flyer (MS Word .doc format)
March 18 – 20, 2011
American University, Washington, DC
- Susan Kaiser Greenland, The New ABCs – Attention, Balance, and Compassion (Friday, March 18)
- Mindfulness in Education Conference: Saturday, March 19
- A Day of Courage and Renewal: Sunday, March 20
Mindfulness meditation has been practiced for thousands of years as a way to reduce suffering and cultivate inner peace. Research shows that mindfulness also enhances learning and attention. There is growing interest in the possibility that this ancient meditative practice can support education and learning for both children and adults. Many educational institutions, including UCLA, Stanford, UCSF, and PENN have embraced mindfulness as an educational intervention by introducing it into their curricula and conducting research in the field. This three-day event will explore the uses of mindfulness in education.
Susan Kaiser Greenland’s Keynote Address:
The New ABCs – Attention, Balance, and Compassion
Friday, March 18th 7:30 pm – 9:00 pm
Ward Circle Building (Nebraska Ave., and Ward Circle, NW)
American University, Washington, DC
Cost $30 (Includes a copy of The Mindful Child: How to Help Your Kid Manage Strews and Become Happier, Kinder, and More Compassionate, Free Press, 2010)
Susan Kaiser Greenland, mindfulness educator, researcher, and author will explore theory, practice, and research related to the use of mindfulness in the classroom, health care settings, and families. She will present age-appropriate, secular activities, developed for children from pre-K to young adult, that promote the ABCs of mindful learning – attention, balance, and compassion,
Susan Kaiser Greenland JD, author of The Mindful Child (Free Press, 2010), co-founded the Inner Kids Foundation which taught mindful awareness in Los Angeles schools and other community settings between 2000-2009. Susan was Co-Investigator on a multi-year, multi-site research study at UCLA’s Semel Institute on the impact of mindfulness in education, Collaborator on an investigation of Mindful Eating for children and their caregivers at UC-SF, and serves on the Garrison Institute’s Initiative on Contemplation and Education Leadership Council. She teaches secular mindful awareness to children and teens, as well as educators, parents, therapists and health care professionals around the world.
Mindfulness in Education Conference
Saturday, March 19th 9:00 am – 4:30 pm
School of International Service
Washington, DC
Cost: $100 (includes breakfast and lunch)
Mindfulness-Based Education (MBE), a powerful tool to decrease stress, deepen learning, enhance academic performance, and promote emotional and social well-being, is increasingly recognized as essential for students, educators and parents. MBE may help to develop the capacity for attention and awareness, creating optimal conditions for teaching and learning. This day-long conference will include a plenary panel consisting of leaders in the field, interest group break-out sessions, and mindfulness practice sessions.
Conference Schedule
8:30 – 9:00 am Conference registration and breakfast
9:00 – 10:30 Conference opening and Plenary Panel Presentations
- Diane Reibel, PhD, Director of The Mindfulness Institute at the Jefferson-Myrna Brind Center Integrative Medicine and a Research Associate Professor, Thomas Jefferson University
- Bradford Grant, MArch, Director of Howard University’s School of Architecture and Design
- Wynne Kinder, BA, Partner in Kinder Associates and Lead Instructor of Wellness Works in Schools
10:45 – 12:00 Interactive discussion with panel members
12:00 – 1:00 pm Lunch
1:00 – 2:15 and 2:30 – 3:45 pm Break-out sessions tentatively include:
- Early childhood education
- Teaching young children in elementary school
- Teaching children in middle school
- Teaching young adults in high school
- Teaching university students
- Teaching teachers
- Research on mindfulness
- Developing a personal practice
- Integrating personal practice and work
- Parenting
4:00 – 4:30 pm Conference closing
Plenary Panel
Diane Reibel, PhD, is the Director of The Mindfulness Institute at the Jefferson-Myrna Brind Center of Integrative Medicine and a Research Associate Professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine at Jefferson Medical College. She co-founded the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) Program at Jefferson in 1996 and has been teaching MBSR for over 17 years. Dr. Reibel’s research includes the effects of MBSR on physical and psychological health in patients and medical students as well as in schoolteachers (K-12). She is coauthor of the book Teaching Mindfulness: A Practical Guide for Clinicians and Educators (Springer, 2010).
Bradford C. Grant, March, is Professor and Director of the School of Architecture and Design and Associate Dean of the College of Engineering, Architecture and Computer Sciences at Howard University, Washington DC. A registered architect, Grant has extensive experience in urban and community design, universal design, contemplative practices in design education and cultural identity in architecture. His community design work, research on the role of African American architects and his work on “Drawing as Meditation” has earned him numerous awards, including the Universal Design Education Award. He is on the board of the Center for Contemplative Mind in Society.
Wynne Kinder, BA, has 13 years of personal contemplative practice and professional training in Mindful Yoga, Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, Boys Town – Teaching Social Skills to Youth, YogaEd, and Lineage Project’s Social Action Teacher Training. Her 17-year teaching career in private and inner-city public schools preceded 7 years of creating and teaching Kinder Associates’ Wellness Works in Schools. During the school year Wynne and Kinder Associates teach more than 20 classes weekly in alternative and special education classrooms (K-12) and in youth intervention centers, as well as providing teacher training to school districts.
A Day of Courage and Renewal
Sunday, March 20, Full-day workshop, 9:00 am – 3:00 pm
School of International Service
American University, Washington, DC
Cost $75* (includes breakfast and lunch)
In this full-day retreat, emerging from principles described in Parker Palmer’s book The Courage to Teach, participants will engage in a wide range of contemplative practices to explore the inner landscape of the teaching life. Facilitators will support experiences engaging heart and mind in reflection and insight. Individual and group activities will include personal experience, the power of poetry and teaching stories, journaling, and art, as the stimuli for reflection and dialog on our lives and our teaching.
Lead Facilitators
Judy Sorum Brown, PhD, is an educator, poet, and writer whose work revolves around the themes of dialogue, leadership, reflective practice, and service. She teaches leadership for the public good at the University of Maryland. Part of the Courage to Teach/Lead community associated with Parker Palmer for many years, she participated in the first group which met with Parker in his living room as he was developing this unique style of leadership enhancement.
Irene McHenry, PhD, is a psychologist, school consultant, author/editor of numerous publications including the 2009 Tuning In: Mindfulness in Teaching and Learning. She consults with organizations nationwide providing professional development and teaching mindfulness for administrators, faculty, trustees and aspiring leaders. Irene is a founder of several schools and initiated the founding of the Friends Council’s SPARC program – Spirited Practice and Renewed Courage, based on Parker Palmer’s teacher formation principles. She is the Executive Director of the Friends Council on Education and Board President for the Council for American Private Education.
Kathleen Glaser, MA, is a national facilitator for the Center for Courage and Renewal and conducts Courage to Teach and Courage to Lead retreats. She has over thirty years experience in public schools, serving as a teacher, elementary school principal, college professor, and supervisor of student teachers. She received the Washington Post Distinguished Educational Leadership Award and is a co-founder of the Chesapeake Public Charter School in southern Maryland. Her article “Four Ways to Sustain all Teachers” was published in the ASCD book entitled Keeping Good Teachers. Her passion is creating trustworthy learning spaces and communities.
Sponsors: American University Global Environmental Politics Program, Association for Contemplative Mind in Higher Education, Association for Mindfulness in Education, Chesapeake Courage Collaborative, Friends Council on Education, Mindfulness in Education Network
Cancellation Policy
We regret that we cannot offer refunds for cancellations after March 4th. Cancellations received by email by that date are eligible for a refund minus a processing fee following the event. Cancellations received after that date are not eligible for any refund. Contact mindfulnessconference2011@gmail.com if you cancel and do not receive a cancellation confirmation within a week.
How to Cancel: submit cancellations via email: mindfulnessconference2011@gmail.com
Questions? Contact: mindfulnessconference2011@gmail.com
*Additional services charges will be applied.
Hotel Accommodations: A limited number of overnight accommodations are being held until 2/18 at the Courtyard Marriott, Chevy Chase for $109 + tax/night. To reserve a room and receive the group discounted rate, please call 301-656-1500 before February 18th and mention the AU Mindfulness in Education Conference.
Recent Comments